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The redeveloped museum, with control tower for the adjoining events area.

In 1916 the British War Office established the Bovington camp as a tank crew training facility. At that time the Army was introducing tanks into the First World War in an attempt to break the stagnation of trench warfare. In 1919 the tanks returned to Bovington from France. Many of them were fit only for scrap. However, a small number of the least damaged vehicles were put to one side so that tank crews and designers could have an idea of the tank's early heritage.

In 1923 the writer Rudyard Kipling visited Bovington and recommended a museum should be set up. The collection grew greatly after the Second World War, as many Allied and captured Axis tanks were added. In 1947 it was opened to the general public. The Tank Museum has continued to expand and today it is primarily seen as a means of educating and entertaining the general public, with the exhibition being geared in this direction. Many of the tanks are in complete working order and can be seen in action throughout summer months in special displays.

The museum holds an annual TankFest display of their operating vehicles and visiting vehicles.

In 2012, the museum's historian David Fletcher, who had been an employee since 1982, was made an MBE "for his services to the history of armoured warfare".[2]

Expansion work to provide an additional 5,000 square metres (54,000 sq ft) of space and modernised facilities was carried out 2008.[3]

World War I Hall

Contains the whole British tank development from Little Willie to the Mark VIII "Liberty", plus an example of the British Mark V, one of the few World War I tanks still in working order. Also featured is an illustration of the life of the soldier and writer T. E. Lawrence, who lived at nearby Clouds Hill cottage and served in the Tanks Corps at Bovington for a short time.

Is the biggest section, with tanks from most nations involved in the conflict. It includes Tiger 131, a German Tiger I tank bearing turret number 131. It was captured in Tunisia in April 1943 and has been fully restored to running condition by the workshops at Bovington. It is the only Tiger I left that is capable of running under its own power. It also has the last surviving DD Tank with its canvas screen, and the only one still in working order.[citation needed]

Highlights the Chobham armour used in the Gulf War against Iraq and pays tribute to the Centurion tank which, during its 46 year career (1945–1991), proved to be one of the best British tanks ever produced.

The Vehicle Conservation Centre is a new building (officially opened in September 2013) added to provide cover for more of the collection and put on view vehicles that had previously not been seen by the public. It houses about 100 vehicles in 40,000 square feet.